authentic

Are you true to your authentic self in your ministry? It is so easy to get lost in all of the trends, viral videos, social platforms, technology and preaching styles that are evolving. This was an old podcast and I am speaking extremely slooooow! Which is extremely rare and kind of scary to be honest. JUST SAY NO TO SINUS MEDS! I thought about deleting this podcast because after listening to it again, I found absolutely no value in my words. I thought, why in the world did I just waste my own time listening to myself say absolutely NOTHING!

Who cares that I was yanked across three states as a child which severely impacted my ability to pronounce words like everyone else, or the fact the I have an extremely insane sense of humor that usually gets me in a ton of trouble? Who seriously podcasts about these things and expects to be taken seriously?

Umm, Portia Chandler!

It’s just who I am, I don’t remember the day I recorded it, and or what prompted me to do it, but I thought it was important then enough to record and today although my podcasts have evolved, it’s still relevant to play to my authentic self as opposed to an airbrush brand. I’m human. I laugh, cry, become angry, do bad things, do good things, I eat, and occasionally find time to sleep, I read and write like 75% of my life. I am an extreme introvert and I am probably afraid of almost everything except the devil. (Read that sentence like seven times, and you have met me.)

I hate cats, because I just do. They’ve never did a thing to me but then again I’ve never hung around long enough to see if they felt the same way I did. I always list cats first because everything else all feels the same way… Lizards, Silverfish, rats….

I had a dog once, a chihuahua that my husband purchased for my birthday. I was terrified of this animal’s random fast sprints around the house. I fed him, bathe him, took him on trips with me, and decided that you could love something that you were absolutely terrified of.  He was simply the cutest little thing I had ever been afraid of. I kept him until I thought he was going to die on me. Where do they do that at? My lawn guy always took long breaks on my street to play with him, and one day after thinking about how my children might respond should they come home to find our now 94 year old dog no longer in the land of the living, I gave the animal that I loved away.

What’s the point? Authentic

I talk to 100 people a day, and log more than 80 hours of talk time with clients, associates, family and friends and one thing is consistent, I always hear how weird I am, how crazy my voice sounds, people mimic my hand motions, and my insanely weird facial expressions. I wear shades indoors because I have a sensitivity to light, it never goes unmentioned. I adore big beautiful hair and I have an obsession with God & technology that opens doors for me impossible for man to close. I don’t always like being ripped apart because I dont fit in but I have learned that the anxiety I experience when trying to be someone that I’m not, isn’t worth it either.

I am enough, and so are you.

God doesn’t perfect the person to fulfill His promise. His promise is perfected through the people He chooses to use for His Purpose. I’m not sure how cheap fakes really are, but the real you is priceless.